


Shiro Kuro

by redwoodroots



Category: Natsume Yuujinchou | Natsume's Book of Friends
Genre: Crow - Freeform, Fluff, Slice of Life, Youkai, fluffy slice, fluffy slice of life, get it 'cuz "kuro" sounds like "crow", guess what that crow's a youkai, i can't tag send help, i'm punny like that, shiro kuro, touko san nurses injured crow, white crow
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-10
Updated: 2019-08-15
Packaged: 2020-08-14 14:34:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20193835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redwoodroots/pseuds/redwoodroots
Summary: Touko-san takes in an injured crow which is more than it appears to be.It's mostly like a regular episode, but told from Touko-san's perspective.  And since this is Touko-san, expect lots of fluff, comfort...and a nice little twist in the middle!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SparkyFrootloops](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SparkyFrootloops/gifts).

Touko-san knelt in the soft, dark earth, humming as she tended to the broadbeans.

“Such a fluffy bean you are,” she murmured, smiling at the fuzzy pods. “Soromame dishes, soromame dishes, grow nice and plump for the soromame dishes...”

She liked spending time with her garden. The house was peaceful and quiet, which was lovely, but sometimes she needed a little company while Takashi was at school and Shigeru worked at the office. She tended to the plants and listened to the birds. Most of the birds were tree sparrows, but sometimes there were a few white-cheeked starlings or black-eared kites, and of course there were plenty of crows.

Today, a whole family's worth of crows had landed in the big wisteria at the corner of the yard, and they were cawing and chattering at each other. She smiled and bent to pluck a small weed from the dirt. Crows were clever birds, and she'd started leaving treats for them in the lowest branches of the wisteria. Ever since, no bird had so much as touched her vegetables, and she liked to think the crows were returning her kindness by protecting her garden. She loved their company. They made the day quite lively, and today they were even more talkative than usual. 

She finished with the broad beans and moved on to the potatoes. They were starting to flower already! And such lovely white blossoms. She needed to pluck them to make sure they plants would save their energy for the tubers, but she could put the blossoms in a shallow bowl perfect for short-stemmed flowers. They'd look so cute on the dining room table –

_KAA! KAA!_

She looked up, startled. There was some kind of disturbance in the tree. Suddenly three of the crows shot straight up through the branches, chasing another bird, this one snow-white. It was thinner than the others and several feathers were missing from its wings. 

“Oh!” She stood abruptly and the blossoms tumbled to her feet. “Oh, no, that poor bird!”

The bird swooped and dodged, but the two crows chasing it were joined by two more, all cawing and flapping. Were they just being territorial? How could she make them stop? Perhaps she could distract them with food! 

She started turning to go inside – there was a bag of birdseed she kept in the cupboard – but suddenly the white crow’s wing turned oddly. It swung midair and one of the other birds plowed right into it. The crow screamed and dropped, hitting a branch before plummeting to the earth. It fluttered feebly, stunned. Its beak opened and closed soundlessly. 

Touko clapped both hands over her mouth. That scream had been terrible, so terrible –

She wanted to rush over to it, but she knew that could frighten the poor thing to death. No, what she had to do was make sure the other crows would leave it alone long enough for her to fetch something to help. 

The birds returned to the tree. She waited by the potatoes, counting the seconds, prepared to call out or wave her arms if the crows kept attacking. But they just stayed on their branches, cawing and shuffling unhappily. She waited a bit longer, just in case, then dashed inside and grabbed the bag of seeds. 

There was a strip of grass she'd left untended along the right side of the yard, running right up to the wisteria tree. She sprinkled a little seed close to the tree, then more and more further down. She wanted to encourage the crows to get some distance from the injured one.

The other birds didn't come down, but they still weren't bothering the fallen crow. She went back inside, found the shallow bowl she’d planned on using for the potato blossoms, and filled it to the brim with water. Then she took a small kobachi, filled it with some seed, and brought the two dishes outside.

The bird had repositioned itself so that it was resting on the ground, its breast feathers nestled in the grass. Its right wing was folded but held slightly away from its body. Touko winced just looking at it.

“Oh, you poor dear.”

The bird's beak was tucked down, but it jerked sideways to face her as Touko approached. She paused two meters away, knelt, and placed the bowls carefully in the grass.

“There you are,” she said quietly. “Have something to eat and drink. I'll be out here for a while, but don't let me disturb you.”

She scooted backwards before standing up. She was worried she had scared it. The bird’s feathers were half-fluffed, like it wasn’t sure whether it should make itself bigger or not. Her heart squeezed. She glanced up at the wisteria tree, a stern expression on her face.

“That was hardly a kind thing to do!” she scolded the birds. “There's certainly plenty of tree and food for everyone. I expect to see better behavior from now on!”

Two of them cawed at her.

She nodded. “Of course I'll still take care of you. You're clever birds and I enjoy your company. So there's no need to push others away. You understand?”

The birds shuffled around on their branches, looking vaguely embarrassed. She nodded again and turned to gather the flowers she'd spilled. Those birds really were quite clever, and she was sure they understood her. But she was still going to keep an eye on the white crow. If he wasn't hopping around on his own in an hour or two, perhaps she should take him to the pet hospital. It was a good mile away, though. She could walk that far, but she'd have to move the bird without frightening it.

Well, she’d just have to continue gardening. If she stayed calm and talked to it, it might get used to her, and then it would be less afraid if she had to move it. 

She left the potatoes alone for now, since they were closer to the bird, and started again with the cucumbers on the far end of the garden.

“Ah, look at the little curls on this vine!” she exclaimed, touching it delicately with a fingertip. “Little cucumbers love to climb. And the leeks look so strong and healthy. They're what keep the bugs away, so I try not to harvest them too often – although they taste wonderful in sukiyaki! Leeks don't bloom, but aren't there strong dark leaves beautiful? Like the firm stroke of a brush.”

She glanced up and saw the bird slowly approaching the waterbowl, stopping every few steps to watch her. She smiled and kept talking. 

“Seeing the cucumbers is like looking at the word ‘river’ spelled over and over. That reminds me, Takashi went fishing with his friends last weekend – he came back soaking wet, but I've never seen him look so happy! It's wonderful to see him playing like that, he was so quiet when he first came to us, and you know I think I _will_ trim just a little off this leek, it's been a bit chilly lately and sukiyaki will be just the thing for him...”

The gardening had taken longer than she'd thought, mostly because she was having such a good time talking to the crow. She'd come close again to refill its water bowl, and it had blinked at her slowly a few times and closed its eyes. She beamed at it. Such a tiny, delicate little bird. It warmed her heart that it trusted her so much.

It was late afternoon when she finally stopped. She'd told it to stay put while she started dinner, and had just come back out with a few dried berries for it when she saw Takashi standing just inside the gate. His cat was hanging on his shoulder and he was staring at the crow. 

“Oh! Okaeri, Takashi-kun!!”

“Touko-san!”

He'd looked a bit tense, but as soon as he saw her, a smile broke over his face like sunshine. She smiled back and held up the berries.

“What do you think? They're for our new visitor!” She nodded towards the bird. “Meet Shiro Kuro! It's a bit of a play on words, since 'kuro' sounds like the English word 'crow.' If he's still there in the morning, I'll take him to the pet hospital down the street. I think his wing may be injured.”

Something like a shadow flickered in Takashi's eyes. “Could I come with you?” he asked. “Wild animals carry diseases, so it's important to be careful.”

“Oh, I hadn't thought of that.” She touched her cheek with one hand and glanced at the crow. “You're right, we'll need to be careful, but I can't let the poor bird suffer...Alright, you can come. But only if you don't have too much homework from school. And we can stop for dorayaki afterwards! Doesn't that sound like a fun treat?”

Nyankuchi’s ears perked instantly. _Nyow?_

She laughed. “Someone's certainly a hungry cat! Well, it _is_ an animal hospital; Nyankuchi-kun can come too, and can catch up on any shots he needs – oh!”

The cat had jumped off Takashi's shoulder and dashed inside the house, yowling. The two of them chuckled.

“Ah, Takashi, I've kept you standing out here for ages! Come inside, I can make you some tea and a snack while I cook dinner. We're having sukiyaki tonight!”

“Thank you,” Takashi said, smiling, and she turned to head inside.

She wasn't sure what made her look back. Maybe it had been the tension she'd seen in his eyes. But when she did turn, Takashi had paused at the doorway, looking worried, his eyes still fixed on the bird.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, Touko watched her family finish their meal, feeling full and content. This was always her favorite part of the day. Everyone was home, talking happily together, and the soft clink of chopsticks and porcelain spoons was like faint music in the air.

They had a new guest for dinner tonight. Shiro Kuro had still been still been sitting under the tree that morning, so she’d waited for Takashi to come home from school and they’d taken the bird to the vet. The vet had cleaned the bird and carefully repositioned the wing. He’d been undernourished and dirty, with so many missing feathers the vet had been surprised it had been airborne at all. The injured wing was likely a torn tendon. But the nice thing was that all of it could be fixed with time.

She’d paid for the bird’s treatment, then gone shopping for bird supplies with Takashi. They stopped for dayango on the way home (at which point Nyankuchi-kun appeared, mewling for treats). Now Shiro Kuro was hanging from an indoor bird stand, in a large, handsome cage with mirrors, toys, food, and water. She'd been rather anxious about Nyankuchi-kun and their new guest, though, so she'd made a special shrimp dish and told him he'd get it for dessert if he left the bird alone. So far the cat was on his best behavior. 

Shigeru sat back from his plate with a happy sigh. “That was wonderful.”

Takashi nodded. “Thank you, Touko-san.”

She smiled. “I'm glad you liked it! I rarely make spicy dishes, but the soromame looked so good that I wanted to try something new.”

“No, it was perfect,” Shigeru assured her.

Suddenly she felt a weight on her foot and looked down. Nyankuchi-kun had already finished his own meal and was sitting on her foot, stars in his eyes, purring with excitement. She laughed.

“Alright, yes, you've been a wonderful host for our guest. Here you are!”

She set down a small bowl full of fried shrimp and squid. Nyankuchi-kun nyaow'd with delight and dug in noisily.

“Oi, Nyanko-sensei!” Takashi scolded.

“He may need to go on a diet,” Shigeru said.

She laughed. “Oh, it's just for one night! It's important to appreciate good behavior.” She stood, collecting her dishes. “Oh, and I found a nice bag of raw sunflower seeds and some plump raisins at the store today, and I thought I'd add a bit of each to Shiro's bird seed. Food is such a lovely way to welcome people. Takashi-kun? Is something wrong?”

“Eh? Oh – no, no. Here, I can do the dishes for you.” He started to get up.

“Nonsense, go ahead and get started on your homework. I can bring you a snack later if you like.”

Takashi hesitated, and Shigeru gave him an encouraging smile. “Don't worry, we can handle the dishes.”

“Not you either!” she said, half-serious, scooping up his bowl. “Didn't you go to work early this morning? Now go rest or I'll drop shrimp in your lap for Nyankuchi-kun to find. He's certainly heavy enough to make you hold still!”

Nyankuchi-kun huffed at her and Shigeru chuckled. “Alright, alright. Clearly I have met my match.”

“You certainly have,” she said sternly, but she was smiling and bent down to kiss him on the cheek. She straightened up, caught Takashi's eye, and sent him her warmest smile. “Make sure you do your best on your homework, Takashi-kun.”

“Hai, hai. Come on, Nyanko-sensei.”

Shigeru helped her clear the dishes and then left to read the paper. She talked to Shiro Kuro while she did the dishes, telling him all about Shigeru and how he liked to read the paper in the evening, so she'd leave it on the coffee table for him, sometimes open to an article she thought he might find interesting. Shiro Kuro seemed to listen, sitting on his perch with his breast feathers fluffed over his feet. The sight of it pleased her enormously. That was what birds did when they were happy.

When she was done with the dishes, she mixed the bird treat together and spooned some onto its little bin of bird seed.

“There you are,” she said when she was done. “Rest a bit, and I'll be back to check on you later.” She turned off the lights to keep Shiro calm, then went to the living room.

To her surprise and delight, she found Takashi sitting in front of the coffee table, his homework spread out in front of him. Shigeru was sitting on the couch behind him, reading his paper. The two of them looked up when she came in.

Takashi smiled at her. “Thank you again for the dinner, Touko-san.”

“Of course! You're not upstairs today?”

“Ah...” For a second his eyes seemed to flick to the kitchen. “Well, for a little bit, would this be alright?”

“Yes, yes, it's such a treat to have you here!”

At the sound of the word 'treat,' Nyankuchi-kun poked his head out from under the table and nyow'd hopefully.

“Now, now, don't think you'll be getting treats every day, or you really will need to go on a diet.” She moved to the couch and settled herself beside Shigeru, who moved his arm to make room for her. “Although I am a little worried about having the bird and Nyankuchi-kun in the house tonight. If we're asleep, we can't check to be sure they're getting along.”

“I always close my door at night,” Takashi said.

“The bird will only be here for a week or so, won't he?” Shigeru asked. “It might ease your mind to give Nyankuchi-kun a small treat each morning, if he keeps behaving himself. It won't be for long.”

“I can take Sensei for walks, too,” Takashi added.

“Hmm...well, alright –”

_NYOWM!_

Kitty-kun mewled with delight and bounced up and down like a very heavy beach ball. All three of them burst into smothered laughter.

Shigeru lowered the paper, still smiling. “It's so companionable having you here, Takashi-kun. Although I hope we're not disturbing your homework.”

“No, this is fine. This is wonderful.”

Touko caught her breath. Takashi was normally reserved, or quietly happy. But now his cheeks almost glowed with happiness and his eyes sparkled. He was rarely so brilliantly joyful, if only she could make it last –

“I know!” she clapped her hands lightly together. “If it doesn't get too late, the two of you could play a game! We have Go and Hanafuda in the closet, it would be so much fun to watch!”

“Wouldn't you play with us?” Takashi asked, as Nyankuchi-kun climbed into his lap.

“I don't know how to play either one,” she said, with a slightly embarrassed laugh. “I just always liked the game pieces, and the illustrations on the Hanafuda cards are so beautiful. I'd be happy just to watch.”

“We could teach you,” he said earnestly, leaning forward. “It's more fun if everybody plays.”

“Even the teaching can be fun,” Shigeru added. “Although it's only if you want to.”

She beamed at them. “Alright, I'd love to try it.”

“Homework first, though,” Shigeru said, when Takashi opened his mouth to speak.

“Ah – hai!” And he quickly got to work.

He finished before Shigeru had gotten halfway through the paper, and the three of them spent the rest of the evening trying to teach Touko the rules of Hanafuda. Eventually it dissolved into telling jokes about the cards, and then into funny stories for each one, and then funny stories that had happened to them. Shigeru did most of the telling, and Touko couldn't catch her breath for giggling. 

At one point even Takashi burst out laughing. The sound rang through the house like a note of pure joy.

It was much later that night when Touko woke up, for no reason she could tell. They'd finished the evening and gone to bed pleasantly tired. She yawned sleepily, staring up at the ceiling, then turned her head to the left. Her husband's profile was faintly visible in the dark. He looked both softer and stronger without his glasses. And it was so cozy and warm under the covers. Her eyes drifted closed.

_Nk, nk._

The sound was so quiet she nearly missed it. It sounded like someone faintly knocking against the house. Perhaps just a tree branch, then, or an animal.

No, it came again, from downstairs. Was it Shiro?

She slipped out of bed, careful not to disturb her husband, and stepped quietly to the door and down the hall. She passed Takashi's room on the way to the stairs. The door was closed as usual.

When she reached the kitchen, she found Shiro Kuro facing the kitchen window, which overlooked the garden. He was hopping a bit on his perch. Every time his good wing bumped the cage, it made the soft knocking sound.

“Shiro Kuro-kun, you'll jostle your wing,” Touko said softly. When the bird didn't respond, she stepped closer and noticed that the bird's eyes were closed. Was it dreaming? But it wasn't good for it to hop about like that.

Before she could decide what to do, the bird stopped hopping and hunched its wings. It looked like it was still asleep.

She paused for a moment, waiting. The moonlight cast a soft glow over its still form. The vet had cleaned it carefully, and its pale feathers shone like lustrous pearls. She wished she could reach in and stroke its feathers. They looked as soft as kitten breath...but she didn't want to disturb him, or worse, frighten him. He'd certainly been through a lot. And yet Shiro Kuro was such a calm bird. He hadn't shied away once since she'd brought him inside, and he had simply watched them calmly while they ate at the table only a meter away. She wondered if he'd been fed by other humans and knew human kindness. She hoped he did.

She waited a few more minutes, just in case, but he was holding still and looked a bit more settled into sleep. She turned as quietly as she could and made her way back upstairs.

Then she paused. Takashi's door was open?

It was, just by a few inches. She hadn't heard him, but he must've gotten up to use the bathroom and forgotten to close it all the way when he came back. It was quite lucky she was still up. And even better that the door wasn't open wide enough to let Nyankuchi-kun into the hall, although he'd proven quite trustworthy around their guest.

She stepped to the door and peeked in. Takashi was peacefully asleep, his golden hair brushed lightly over his forehead, his face round and young and peaceful. Her heart ached at the sight.

Nyankuchi-kun was lying on Takashi's other side, snuggled close against him. When she peeked in his ear flicked and one eye opened. She smiled and waved at him, then went to quietly close the door.

“Nn...”

She looked up. Takashi stirred in his sleep. She almost thought she saw a shadow seemed pass over his face. He turned pale.

“Oh!” she squeaked, fingers tightening on the door. She felt caught between wanting to soothe him and respecting his privacy. 

Kitty-kun's ear flicked again. He hauled himself up, shuffled towards the pillow, and fwumped down with his chin on Takashi's shoulder, facing Touko. His eyes were fixed on her, luminous in the dark.

Slowly, Takashi settled down again. His face smoothed. He sighed and his breathing evened out, becoming slow and deep.

“Thank you, Nyankuchi-kun,” she whispered, and closed the door as softly as she could.

She made her way back to her room and slipped under the covers. Shigeru reached for her in his sleep. She twined her fingers in his and settled down. She hadn't realized she'd been a little upset until they were holding hands. The feeling steadied her.

Takashi had had nightmares when he first came to live with them. Sometimes he'd talk in his sleep, always about being chased or eaten. They sounded terrifying. She hadn't realized he still had them. At least this one had gone away quickly. She wished he would tell her about it, but he was always so shy about himself, and she didn't want to pry. She wanted to make him feel safe and loved and cherished.

She yawned. Well, the games tonight had certainly helped – that was the first time she'd ever heard him laugh like that. What else could they do together? Nothing too time-consuming. She didn't want to take him away from his studies. But perhaps errands? Or walking Nyankuchi-kun? Shigeru had said the cat needed a diet; this way they would all get a little exercise. Or maybe...

She yawned again. Her eyes slipped closed, and she drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Touko finished packing the bento and closed the lid.

“Takashi-kun!” she called. “Come eat breakfast, you're going to be late!”

“Hai!”

She went to pick up the bento and something sharp sliced her finger. She dropped it with a yelp. The cutting knife? She hadn't remembered putting it on the bento.

Shiro Kuro cawed at her.

“Daijoubu, don't worry!”

She set the knife in the sink as Takashi rushed into the room, Nyankuchi-kun at his heels.

“Itadakimasu!” he said, and began quickly eating his omelet.

“Don't forget your bento,” she said, setting it down in front of him. “And could you pick up some more birdseed on your way home from school? I don't think we have quite enough for the week.”

He swallowed a mouthful of sausage. “Hai!”

She nodded and turned to call Shigeru.

“Ah...Touko-san?”

“Mm?” She turned back. Takashi looked hesitant.

“I was wondering...if you'd like some help in the garden today?”

“Eh? Really?”

“I can finish most of my homework at school today. It would be fun to do it with you. If that's alright?”

Touko nearly gasped with delight. This was exactly the kind of thing she'd been thinking about last night – ways to spend time together!

She beamed at him. “Takashi-kun, it sounds _wonderful_.”


End file.
